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RIO DE JANEIRO—When Brooke Henderson stormed through the Olympic interview zone without breaking stride Friday, it wasn’t difficult to understand her reasons.

“I don’t have anything to say,” she told a Canadian official. And with a whack of her golf bag, she was off to a date at random drug testing without another word.

She’d just signed a scorecard detailing a grim reality that spoke for itself. Her four-over par score of 75 didn’t strictly rule her out of medal contention. She’ll begin Saturday’s final round seven shots off Inbee Park’s gold-medal pace and five shots off the chase for the silver. But given that she’d begun Friday tied for third place, just two shots off the lead, the sub-standard performance was a disheartening setback, to be sure.

The bright side for Henderson was that Park didn’t run away from the field, carding a one-under 70 to retain the lead at 11-under par. That left world No. 1 Lydia Ko of New Zealand two back at nine under after a sizzling round of 65. Gerina Piller of the U.S., who shot 68, also comes into Saturday at nine under.

In other words Henderson, on account of a final six holes that saw her go four over par, will need to post a stellar final number to have realistic shot at hardware.

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“She’s very disappointed, and I think we all are,” said Tristan Mullally, Canada’s coach here. “But it wasn’t for lack of effort.”

The chief problem for Henderson on Friday was her hot-pink putter — it was beyond ice cold. The chilliest moment came on the par-four 16th hole. Facing a 35-footer for birdie, Henderson, currently ranked No. 3 in the world, four-putted for double bogey, missing back-to-back three-foot breakers to turn a frustrating day into a truly miserable one. She also missed a five-footer for par on the 13th and a four-footer for par on the 17th.

“You can’t really account for that,” said Mullally, speaking of the four-putt. “It wasn’t awesome. But what can you do?”

Blustery conditions on the par-71 Olympic golf course made the going difficult and slow; Mullally posited that Henderson’s late-round falloff could have come down to a lack of experience. Despite her status as the world No. 3 she is still, after all, only 18. Mullally also said her uncharacteristically poor play might have been exacerbated by the fact she didn’t eat and drink enough during the 5 ½-hour slog. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp, the other Canadian in the field, also shot 75 to sit tied for 34th at three-over par.

Then again, others dealt with the slow play and incessant wind far better. The 19-year-old Ko shot a six-under round of 65 to vault up the leaderboard, thanks in part to her first career hole-in-one on the par-3 eighth hole.

Ko began her day tied for 22nd, seven shots back of the tournament lead held by Korea’s Park, who was at 10-under-par — not exactly prime position to make inroads. But Paul McGinley, the coach of the Irish contingent here, marvelled at Ko’s refusal to be affected by what other players might see as negatives.

“The first two days, nothing was happening for her. The girls were going away — it looked like they were in the distance. But there was no panic from Lydia,” McGinley said. “Then she caught fire (Friday), and then she had her hole-in-one and — boom! — all of a sudden, she’s in the middle of the tournament. That ability to be patient — (Jack) Nicklaus always talked about the importance of patience in winning tournaments and winning majors. And I think Lydia personifies that in the ladies’ game.”

Ko said for all her accomplishments as a player, she’d never previously had the pleasure of a hole-in-one, not even in a practice round. And if she didn’t look particularly enthused by her first ace, it’s because she said she wasn’t actually sure if the ball went into the hole until the crowd reacted with gusto.

“I would have loved to have, like, done a dance or jumped up and down,” she said. “But then I realized, ‘Hey, I’ve got 11 more holes. Get out of it.’ But it’s really cool. It kind of puts the cherry on top (of the Olympic experience).”

While Ko fielded multiple questions Friday about what it would mean to her to win an Olympic medal — and while she acknowledged she’d dreamed of being an Olympics since golf’s return to the Games was announced in 2009 (“When I was only 12,” she said) — she said some of the best things about her Olympics haven’t happened on the course.

“At the end of the day, it’s about the world’s best athletes together, having a good time.”

That’s not to say she’s taking it lightly. McGinley said it’s worth noting that the leaderboards in both last week’s men’s tournament and this week’s women’s version have largely been topped by big-time players justifying their place in the global pecking order.

“The cream really rose to the top last week, and it’s rising to the top this week,” McGinley said. “So it shows you how motivated both sets of players who are here, and how they got caught into the spirit.”

That Henderson was left fuming Friday says something about her competitive spirit. How she reacts Saturday will say more.

“At the end of the day she’s human and she’s trying her best,” Mullally said. “(Saturday) she’s in a position where, if she plays to her ability she can make a medal. And that would be the focus for now.”

Ko, for her part, said she’d try to divert her attention from the golden stakes on the line on Saturday.

“It’s just like another day,” Ko said. “You need to go out there and think of it as, ‘Hey, a practice round.’ ”

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